SINCE 1828

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

ringtail

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noun ring·tail \ -ˌtāl \

Definition of ringtail

1 :raccoon

2 :a carnivore (Bassariscus astutus) of the western U.S. and Mexico that is related to and resembles the raccoon — called also cacomistle, civet cat, ringtail cat, ringtailed cat

3 :capuchin 3

Recent Examples of ringtail from the Web

Forest Road 4750 (Calf Creek Road) and Forest Road 2800620 (Ringtail-Oakie Loop Road) are closed south of Highway 138 between Dry Creek and Toketee.

— OregonLive.com, "Wildfires rage as cooler temperatures arrive," 13 Aug. 2017
Animals found on Ubirr's walls include barramundi (Asian sea bass), catfish, mullet, goannas (Australian monitor lizard), long-necked turtles, pig-nosed turtles, rock ringtail possums and wallabies.

— Smithsonian, "Learn more about Aboriginal Rock Art in the Northern Territory.," 7 Apr. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ringtail.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of ringtail

1844

Learn More about ringtail

See words that rhyme with ringtail Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about ringtail

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